Bloodied Rose, Side Story
by spazartist101
Summary: this is pretty much what goes on with Ari BEFORE all her friends show up
1. Chapter 1

"...What do you mean, 'gone', Elliot?" Blood asked slowly, his face serious.

"She isn't in Wonderland anymore. She...left," I answered for the sputtering hare. My eyes were still wide with shock at hearing the news. Everyone was in a stunned silence that seemed to last for hours. Elliot snapped out of his shocked mood and finally realized what was happening.

"Um, was I interrupting something?" he asked with caution. I felt my face get hot, and I swear I saw Blood's eye twitch.

"LEAVE PLEASE," we said at the same time. Elliot held up his hands in surrender, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I stayed in my spot behind the bed, glaring up at Blood. He glanced over at me, a smirk playing on his lips. My eyes narrowed.

"I wasn't just talking to Elliot when I said to leave," I growled at him. He chuckled, and I felt my eye twitch. I reached out to grab a pillow, but his hand caught mine and he yanked me back onto the bed. I landed on top of him, and I felt my face get hotter. One of his hands fell on my lower back, the other grabbed my chin and tilted it towards his face.

"So, shall we continue where we left off?" he asked, grinning wickedly. I growled lightly, then grabbed a pillow, rolled off of him, and hit him in the head with it.

"GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!" I shouted at him as I continued to hit him with the pillow. He simply laughed at me, then got up from my bed and walked out of the room. I threw the pillow at him as he walked out, but it only hit the door and fell to the floor with a _thump_. I glared at the door, expecting someone to walk in. When no one came, I slowly stood up and walked over to my pile of clothes on the floor. I had only put on my bra and panties when I heard a knock on my door, making me jump. I ran back to my spot behind the bed and peered over the edge of it.

"Come in," I said cautiously. The door opened, and the same maid who had helped me last night poked her faceless head in.

"Good to see you're awake, Miss," she said with a smile. I relaxed slightly as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. I pulled my dress over my head and smoothed it out as I stood up.

"Would you like me to brush out your hair for you?" she asked me. I looked up to see a hairbrush in her hand. I smiled and nodded in response, and she motioned for me to sit on the couch. I walked over and sat down and she sat behind me, then started to brush out my tangled hair. We sat in complete silence, and I turned to face her when she finished, a bright smile on my face.

"If that is all, then I must leave. Much work to be done," she said brightly, "oh, and Mister Blood would like to speak with you immediately," she added before leaving. My face twitched. No way was I gonna talk to him. I put my hair up into a ponytail, then walked over to the window, opening it wide. I peered out and saw the jump wasn't very far...for a vampire anyway. If a human were careful, they could probably survive. I grinned, then walked back for a running start. I ran towards the window, then leaped out of it. Gravity immediately took hold, and I rolled when I hit the ground. I looked back up at the window I jumped through with a smirk. _He needs to learn I come when I feel like it,_ I thought as I dusted myself off. I walked out the gate and saw that Dee and Dum weren't there. Sighing contentedly, I continued walking down the path I was on. I closed my eyes, humming to myself, my bare feet patting softly on the ground. Soon I was back at where this all started. Judging from the giant hands on the building before me, I assumed it was the Clock Tower. I wandered around the building, finding a set of stairs that led to an area that I couldn't decide whether it was a balcony, porch, or lobby. I didn't see anyone there, so I walked around the area, stopping at the railing. My eyes went wide with awe as I took in the view. _Wow. This is just-_

"Who's there?" an angry voice asked, jolting me out of my thoughts. I whipped around to see a man with dark blue hair longer than my own looking at me with anger. _Let me at 'im, let me at 'im!_ Arisu shouted in my head. I shook my head to make her shut up, then remembered what Alice had told me last night at the tea party.

"Er, you're Julius, right? Unless Alice forgot to mention something..." I asked, my face twisting with confusion.

"You met Alice?" he asked, his expression matching my own.

"_Met_ her? Dude, I _know_ her. I met her months ago in England," I explained, irritation in my voice.

"So you must be an outsider," he accused me.

"Thank god I already know what that means," I muttered. His face flashed for a brief second with shock, "If you wanted to explain how this place is pretty much set up, Blood Dupre, Alice, _and_ Boris beat ya to the punch," I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

"So you've been to the other territories then," he implied. I shook my head in response, receiving a sigh in return, "be mindful then. Everyone is quick to draw their weapons on those they don't know well," he explained. I snorted.

"Like I couldn't figure _that_ out on my own. I've already been swung and shot at at Hatter Mansion," I explained, jumping up onto the railing.

"Hmph. Surprised you're still alive."

"Psh. I kicked the gatekeepers asses."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." he warned, his arms crossed.

"What? 'Cause I'll do this?" I smirked, then kicked off the railing, falling to the ground below. I twisted my body and landed in a handstand. I flipped onto my feet, then looked up to see what I had supposed to be Julius looking down at me in shock. I saw someone with much shorter hair standing next to him. I squinted up and vaguely saw a lizard tattooed to his neck. I preceded to go back to where they were when the stench of mixed blood stopped me. I turned toward the direction of the smell, seeing the bushes rustle. I knew who it was before he even stepped out from the bushes.

"Wow, I'm pretty early!" Ace said brightly, brushing his hair out of his face. He turned his head slightly and spotted me.

"Hey, Ace," I greeted, smiling at him.

"Hey! Guess you were right about seein' me around, huh?" he said, knocking his knuckles lightly against my forehead.

"Is your bite all healed?" I asked, somewhat worried about it.

"Oh, that? It's fine, see? All healed!" he said, pulling down his collar to show me his neck. I giggled, glad he was fine, then started walking back up to where I had jumped. I wanted to see who the man with the tattoo was. Ace was right behind me, and soon we were back in the small area.

"Are you trying to prove something by attempting to kill yourself?" Julius asked, looking at me like I was insane.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuum...Nope. Unless I was trying to prove I can't die," I explained, shrugging again.

"That is highly impossible," Julius countered icily. I cocked my hip, placing a hand on my chin as I pondered how to prove something like not being able to die. I looked over at the man with the tattoo, and noticed he was loaded with weapons.

"Perfect! You! Person-whose-name-I-don't-know!"

"Gray," he replied.

"Okaaaaaay, Gray. Gimme one of your knives!" I asked. It was his turn to stare at me like I was insane, "well it's not like I'm gonna use Ace's sword! Who _knows_ how clean it is? I can still smell the blood on it!"

"HEY! My sword is perfectly clean, thank you very much!" Ace argued.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can I just have a knife please?" I tried again. Gray looked at me, then hesitantly pulled out one of his knives and handed it to me.

"Thaaaaaank you!" I sang as I took the blade. Not a second later, I plunged it into my stomach, making sure the wound would have been fatal were I human. Everyone stared in shocked silence as I pulled out the knife. I set the knife on the railing, then moved the clothe of the tear in my dress slightly. All three faces stared in shock as the wound slowly patched itself back up and healed.

"Is this enough proof, buddy?" I asked Julius sarcastically, "that wound would have killed a normal person!" I yelled, pointing at the now fully healed wound.

"Woooooah! That was cool!" Ace said, poking my stomach. I tried unsuccessfully to stifle the giggles bubbling to the surface.

"Yes, yes, very interesting," Julius said icily, "do you have what I asked for, Ace?" he asked, turning to Ace.

"Sure thing!" Ace replied, then handed Julius a bag of...something. I didn't even know Ace _had_ a bag with him, "not that many this time," he added brightly. Julius grumbled something in return, then turned and walked back to the inside of the building. I watched as he left, then turned to face Gray, sticking my hand out.

"Ari Lemire," I said, introducing myself. I watched him smirk as he reached for my outstretched hand.

"Gray Ringmarc. You must be the girl Alice was talking about last night," he said, kissing my hand, "I've heard good things."Something tingled under my skin, and I felt Arisu shiver in my head, which meant only one thing; the guy was a perv. I internally shivered, then gently pulled my hand back.

"Well, I'm just, uh, gonna go now, yeah..." I said, starting to back away.

"Come visit soon," Gray called. I waved, then turned and left the Clock Tower. Soon I was on my way to the other territories. _Hm, how about...the Amusement Park, was it?_ I thought. The last place I wanted to go was Heart Castle. I most certainly didn't want to see Creeper Peter anytime soon. I started humming again, and soon I was softly singing. I reached into the pocket of my dress, sifting through them as I tried to find my iPod. I shivered as my fingers grazed the vial with the heart shaped stopper. I took out my iPod, grumbling at finding the headphones to be tangled again. I untangled them, then put them in my ears and unlocked my iPod and hit the "play" button. "Kiss With a Fist" started blasting from it, and I started singing and dancing along to it.

"_You hit me once, I hit you back. You gave a kick, I gave a slap. You smashed a plate over my head, then I set fire to our bed!  
"My black eye casts no shadow, your red eye sees no pain! Your smacks don't stick, your kicks don't hit, so we remain the same! Blood sticks! Sweat drips! Break the lock if it don't fit! A kick in the teeth is good for some, but a kiss with a fist is better than none!_" I continued singing and dancing until the song was over and I heard someone clapping. I paused the iPod and turned to see Boris leaning against a tree, clapping for me.

"Job well done!" he said, smiling.

"Hey Boris! What's up?" I asked, smiling brightly.

"Meh. Not much. Just wandering around. You headin' somewhere?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to find the Amusement Park," I explained, rubbing the back of my head.

"Pff. You got lost, didn't you?" Boris snickered.

"Shut up. I have no clue where it is."

"I can take you there!" he offered, walking towards me.

"Please do." He laughed again, then started walking off, me following close behind.

"Um, _yikes_," I blanched upon seeing the Amusement Park.

"Funny, Alice said the same thing..." Boris grimaced.

"Why is it so..._bright?_" I asked. Boris shrugged in answer.

"Welcome, Honored Guest!" two voices exclaimed brightly. I jumped, then slowly turned to the voices. I blanched again at their insane outfits.

"Are you here to see Gowland?" the male asked.

"We'll get him for you!" the female chimed in.

"Wait, that's not-" I started, but they were already gone. I slapped my forehead at the same time Boris did. A small jingle caught my attention, and I turned to see Boris' tail ring jingling as it swished back and forth. His ears were perked, and he crouched down.

"Uh, Boris? What the hell are you-" I was cut off as he pounced on something. Or from the following squeaks (squeaks?), it was a some_one_.

"Nooooo! Boris, let me gooooooooo!" the voice squeaked. Boris stood up holding the collar of the person who most likely made said squeak.

"Caught ya, mousey-boy!" Boris snickered, grinning wickedly. The poor boy being held captive looked close to tears.

"Boris, let him go!" I scolded. The boy had already wiggled out of Boris' grasp and ran to hide behind me.

"Don't let him catch me-hm?" the boy said, pausing. His nose wiggled as he sniffed me.

"Wh-what?" I asked.

"Are you an Outsider?" he asked, his eyes bright.

"Uh, um...yes?" I grimaced.

"No wonder you smell so nice! Can I have a kiss?" _He wants a WHAT NOW?_ Arisu screamed in my head. My jaw dropped, and I stared at the boy in shock. My expression went completely blank as I did the only logical thing I could think of; I slapped him.

**Author's Notes: those who actually read my stuff should know i write these in everything, BUT ANYWAY! i promised you guys a side story and i delivered, so TA-DAAAAAAAAAA! hope you guys enjoy it~**


	2. Chapter 2

I could hear Boris laughing hysterically at me slapping the mouse.

"Wh-why would you ask me that?" I shrieked, blushing slightly.

"Ouch! I-I'm sorry!" he squeaked, gently touching the spot on his face where I slapped him, "I-I'm Pierce Villiers, the sleepy mouse. I'm so sorry I asked that!" he apologized. _Mmmmm..._ I grumbled in my head. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, and when I opened them, Pierce looked close to tears again.

"You don't hate me for asking that, do you?" My eyes softened, and I was suddenly hugging him.

"Why on earth would I hate you?" I asked him, pulling back to look at his face. His eyes were wide for a second, then a bright smile spread across his face, and he squeezed me tightly around my waist. I pat his head, smiling lightly, and Boris rolled his eyes at us.

"Honored guest! We brought the owner!" the two workers from before sang.

"Well well well. You weren't kidding when you said we had a guest!" a voice boomed behind me. I turned around to see a man wearing a brightly colored outfit carrying a violin.

"Hey little lady! You must be the girl Boris was talking about!" he boomed again, taking my hand and shaking it vigorously. I wasn't totally sure what to do with the situation. He let go of my hand and positioned his violin.

"And now a special song, just for you!" he sang. I watched Boris go deathly pale.

"No Old Man! Don't do it!" he yelled.

"Eep! Spare meeeeee!" Pierce begged, holding me in a death grip. Suddenly, one of the most horrendous sounds I had ever heard rang through the air. My skin went two shades whiter as a shiver ran down my spine. _AUGH! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NOISE?_ Arisu shouted as I felt her try and cover her ears. _Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!_ I shouted in my head, starting to get dizzy. I reached into Gowland's mind, looking for any way to make the racket stop. I covered me ears, which helped me none. Finding something, I decided to give it a shot.

"Augh, I can't take this anymore! Cut it out, Mary Gowland!" I shouted as loud as I could. The screeching stopped, and Gowland stared at me with wide eyes. Everything was silent until Boris burst into uncontrollable laughter. Gowland turned his attention to the feline, glaring icily at him.

"You dirty stray! You opened your big mouth again, didn't you?" Gowland shouted, clearly well beyond pissed off.

"Wasn't me this time Old Man!" Boris laughed, sticking out his tongue.

"Well who told her?" Gowland shot back.

"You did," I interrupted. Gowland stared at me like I had gone insane, "At least you mind did! I can kinda sorta read minds...heh heh."

"I told you I didn't tell her!" Boris barked, "besides, she was gonna find out at some point anyway!" Gowland was completely silent, a scowl on his face. He must have been near his breaking point.

"...You're right," he said finally, "and all because of Blood Dupre! Augh! Next time I see that guy, I'm gonna blow his goddamn head off!"

"Does this always happen?" I asked Boris and Pierce. They both nodded.

"Dupre was the one who told _everyone_ in Wonderland what Gowland's first name was," Boris explained, snickering. _This guy just gets better and better,_ Arisu purred.

_Don't even start,_ I shot back. She only laughed in response. I glanced over at Gowland to see he was still fuming.

"Uh, shouldn't we try and calm him down?" I asked.

"It's best if you leave him alone when he's like that," Pierce answered.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. He just needs to blow off some steam. Let's go enjoy the Park while we wait!" Boris offered, holding out his hand.

"Yeah! Come play with us!" Pierce squeaked, tugging on my arm. I chuckled, then grabbed Boris' hand, and both pulled me into the Park. Boris dragged me towards the roller coasters,and Pierce stiffened up.

"Pierce? You okay? I asked, turning to him.

"I-I don't wanna go on that!" he squeaked out, shaking like crazy.

"Then don't, mousey-boy!" Boris taunted, sticking out his tongue, "me and Ari will go on it."

"It's okay Pierce. You don't have to go on if you don't want to," I said, patting his head and smiling.

"A-are you sure?" he asked. I smiled and nodded in response.

"Alright, it's settled! Let's go!" Boris whooped, pulling me to the ride. Upon further examination of said ride, I saw quite the amount of corkscrews, and grinned slightly. This may turn out to be fun. We went on, and as usual, I screamed like crazy. When we came off, I was giggling like a maniac. We started to walk to a different ride, when I bumped into someone.

"Whoops. Sorry," I apologized, still giggling, "didn't see you there-" I stopped the rest of my sentence when I saw who i had bumped into.

"Well, well. Fancy seeing you here," Blood said, smirking.

"Never mind. I'm not sorry. Now if you'll just _get out of my way,_" I growled, trying to walk past him. He moved his cane so it blocked me from moving. I glared at the cane, then pushed it out of my way.

"Pretty lady is here?" two voices said simultaneously. I looked around Blood to see Dee and Dum running towards me. They wrapped their arms around my waist when they reached me, hugging me tightly.

"What're you doin' _here_ pretty lady?" Dee asked.

"I'm just seeing the other territories. What about you guys?" I asked, patting their heads.

"Oh, stupid territory negotiations. Barf!" Dum answered, sticking out his tongue.

"They're so _boring_! We wanna play with the pretty lady!" Dee chimed in. I smiled down at them.

"Anyway, have you seen Gowland anywhere?" Elliot asked.

"I wouldn't go near him right now," Boris chimed, "he just about blew a casket at Ari finding out what his name is."

"Well then, I think it's best we leave. I'd like to avoid any hassles," Blood said, turning to leave.

"Uh..." I said, tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. He turned around slightly to see me pointing at something.

"Well Blood! Come to discuss negotiations, have we?" Gowland, boomed, looking...happy, "please, make yourself at home! Only do it a s corpse!" he continued, turning his violin into a rifle. My eyes widened as he pointed the gun straight at Blood. I watched his finger pull the trigger, and I reacted without thinking. In the next second, Blood was in front of me, or more likely, I was in front of him. My eyes were an ice blue as I felt the blood start to soak my clothing. I looked over my shoulder to see where I was shot, and relaxed slightly when I saw it was only through a lung. Everyone who was watching was completely motionless as they watched me, waiting for something to happen. It was Boris who finally broke the silence.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted at Gowland. I looked forward again and coughed.

"It was an accident! It's not like I _meant_ to shoot her!" Gowland argued, "I was aiming at Dupre! _She's_ the one who moved in front of him!" They continued to argue, and I slowly sank to my knees, coughing.

"Ari! Oh my god, are you okay?" Pierce squeaked out, running towards me and kneeling down next to me.

"Ari? What's wrong?" Elliot asked, doing the same and placing a hand on my shoulder. I covered my mouth and gave one, ragged cough, then moved my hand away to reveal the bloody bullet.

"That...really...hurt...ow..." I mumbled, showing off the bullet, "can someone please get the twits attentions?"

"Hey! Boris! Old Man! Pretty lady is fine!" Dee and Dum yelled at the same time. The two stopped arguing and turned to face me. I turned slightly and held up the bullet between two fingers. Both of their eyes widened as they stared at the bullet. I giggled as they stumbled over their words about how I was still alive.

"It's simple! I'm already dead, therefore I cannot die," I explained, grinning and showing my fangs. They shook their heads in disbelief as I stood up, dusting off my dress.

"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay!" Pierce squeaked, glomping me, which made me fall onto the ground again.

"Gah! Pierce!" I yelled in surprise. I stood up again with him still attached to me.

"So uh, where you going now?" Boris asked as I pat Pierce head. My face paled, and it immediately fell.

"I'm going to Heart Castle," I grumbled, irritated about having to deal with Peter, "so I guess I'll see you later?" I asked, detaching myself from Pierce.

"Sure! Come back soon, okay?"

"No problem!" I said brightly, then preceded to face my torture.

**Author's Notes: okay BEFORE ANYONE ASKS, the reason i made this mature is because of the language used, and that i may (MAY) add a smut scene later. still debating, but it'll probably happen. NOW THEN. as to this story...it's self explanatory really. just read it to find out :D enjoy~!**


	3. Chapter 3

I waved to everyone at the Amusement Park, then walked back down the path in the woods. I pulled out my iPod and put the headphones in my ears, blasting the next song by the artist I was already listening to. I started to sway as I walked, and soon I was singing and dancing again.

"_She told me not to step not the cracks. I told her not to fuss and relax. Pretty little face stopped me in my tracks. And now she sleeps with one eye open. But that's the price she'll pay._

_"I took a knife and cut out her eye. I took it home and watched it whither and die, well. She's lucky that I didn't slip her a smile. That's why she sleeps with one eye open. But that's the price she'll pay._

_"I said 'hey, girl with one eye. Get your filthy finger outta my pie.' Oh, I said 'hey, girl with one eye. I'll cut your little heart out, 'cause you made me cry'._" I continued till the song was over, and heard clapping again. I looked up to see Ace clapping and whistling.

"That was frickin' awesome! I didn't know you sang!" he said, smiling as usual. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Second time I had an unexpected audience today..." I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing. Where ya headed?" I asked.

"I'm going to Heart Castle. You going there too?"

"Unfortunately."

"I can take you there!" he offered.

"...Why do I get the feeling we're going to get lost?"

"Beats me," Ace answered, shrugging and starting to walk off..._in the wrong direction._

"Uh, I think I should lead the way," I said, tugging his arm to turn him around, "look, the castle is right there! Let's go!" He fake pouted, and I rolled my eyes, pulling the laughing man with me to the castle. As we reached the entrance, I saw a maid and soldier standing there, chatting.

"Welcome back, Sir Ace," the faceless maid said, curtsying. Ace bowed his head slightly in response.

"And welcome, honored guest," the soldier said to me, and I curtsied in return. We walked through the doors and turned down the hallway to a large set of doors. Ace walked through them, me following, and we both ducked when we saw something flying in our direction. Judging from the loud crash that followed, it was a glass vase.

"What do you mean there's another Outsider here, White? And why have you not brought her to see us?" a woman shouted, clearly pissed off.

"I'm sorry, your highness! I haven't even seen her since I brought her- huh?" Peter stopped mid sentence and turned completely around to look at me. I watched his face brighten as mine went pale.

"Ariiiiii!" he squealed, running towards me with his arms spread for a hug. Just as he was about to hug me, I jumped over him, letting him crash into the wall behind me. I landed on the ground with a tap and smoothed out my dress.

"Heh heh...ow," Peter mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"White, is this the Outsider?" the same woman who was shouting earlier asked.

"She sure is!" Ace answered for him.

"What is your name girl?" she asked again, turning to me.

"Ari," I replied, "who are you?"

"We are the Queen of Hearts. We are also called Vivaldi." _The queen, eh? She smells...familiar,_ Arisu mused, making my own nose twitch. _You're right, she smells like...OH MY GOD!_ I thought, my eyes going wide. I coughed to break the internal tension.

"Oh no! Is my dearest sick?" Peter nearly yelled, running over to me and feeling my forehead. My fists clenched.

"I'm fine. Now you have five seconds to back away before I knock your lights out," I growled.

"Woah! Ari, where'd the blood come from?" Ace asked, pointing to my back.

"What? Oh, that? I got shot.

"By who?" Vivaldi asked, her eye twitching.

"Gowland. It was an accident though. He was aiming at Blood and I jumped in the way," I explained, sifting through my pockets. When I found it, I held help the bullet for all to see.

"You took a bullet for Hatter? Yikes," Ace mused.

"I did it without thinking! Were it anyone else I would have done the same thing!"

"Aw, you would do that for me?" Ace asked.

"Most likely."

"What about Vivaldi?"

"Probably."

"And me?" Peter asked hopefully. I stared at him, then turned away, not saying a word.

"Ouch. Tough luck, Pete," Ace chuckled.

"Ariiiii!" Peter whined.

"Well, seeing as how you're finally here, let's have tea, shall we?" Vivaldi asked, turning to walk outside. We all followed her, Peter and Ace bickering, and I sat down to Vivaldi's right, the table already set. Peter stood on her left.

"Pst! Ari!" Ace whispered, tapping my shoulder to get my attention, "I have to go see Julius, but I'll see you later-" he stopped when a gunshot rang through the air. We looked up to see Peter glaring at Ace, holding a smoking pistol.

"Know your place, give my sweet her space," Peter growled. Ace smiled brightly, chuckling lightly, and stood up straight, holding his hands up in surrender.

"See ya later Ari," he said, waving goodbye as he started to walk off. I waved back at him, smiling, then turned back to face forward, picking up my tea cup.

"Peter, put the gun away," I warned, sipping my tea.

"But-"

"Put. The gun. Away," I growled. Peter sighed, then turned the gun back into the clock he carried.

"So, what took you so long to see us Ari?" Vivaldi asked, setting down her tea cup to look at me. I quickly glanced over at Peter, making sure only she noticed. She nodded in understanding, then sipped her tea. My nose twitched again, and I looked over at Vivaldi.

"Uh, Vivaldi? Can I speak to you?" I asked, then glanced over at Peter, "alone?" The queen glanced quickly at Peter, sipping her tea, then set down her empty cup.

"White, we do believe you have paperwork to take care of?" Vivaldi inquired, standing up.

"Well, yes, but-" Peter started, but stopped when Vivaldi glared at him. He let out a sigh, then walked off...but not before kissing my cheek, which he literally jumped over the table to do.

"Till later, my sweet~" he chimed, then ran off before I could throttle him. I rubbed hard at my cheek, wanting to get rid of the kiss.

"Walk with us," Vivaldi said, starting to walk through the garden. I jumped, then ran to catch up with her.

"So," she started as we entered the maze, "what is it you wished to discuss?"

"Just something that's itching at my mind," I said, walking slowly next to her.

"Oh? What would that be?"

"Well, it's just that...you have a similar scent to someone else in Wonderland." She looked at me in confusion, stopping, and I waved my hands frantically, trying to explain.

"Well, I have very strong senses, and I got all confused, and I started to internally panic, and I-"

"Calm down child," Vivaldi interrupted, laughing and starting to walk again, "just tell us what bothers you."

"W-well, it's probably just a coincidence, but you have a very similar scent to," I paused, making sure no one was around, then whispered in her ear, "Blood Dupre." Her eyes widened in shock, but I went on, "You each smell like tea and roses, but yours is a little different."

"We see," she said, glancing down slightly in thought. I looked at the ground as we walked, playing with my fingers behind my back. I glanced up at the evening sky, and watched as it suddenly changed to nighttime. We walked back into the castle, and I turned to the door to leave.

"Leaving already?" Vivaldi asked with a small pout on her face.

"Unfortunately, yes," I said, bowing, "thank you for letting me have tea with you."

"It was no trouble. Please, feel free to visit us soon," She said, smiling sweetly. I smiled, then walked back into the maze like garden as she went to most likely her room. I wandered around the garden, lost in my own thoughts. I was so out of focus that I didn't even notice Peter until I bumped into his chest.

"Ari?" he asked, looking down at me in disbelief. I quickly moved away from him, my face a slight pink.

"Uh, hi Peter," I said, smoothing out my dress.

"Are you leaving? At this hour?" he asked, stepping closer.

"That was my intention, yes..." I trailed, walking around him.

"But it's night out! It's too dangerous to be in the woods!"

"Are you stupid?" I asked, turning around to face Peter, making my eyes an ice blue as I let down my hair, "I live for the night." And with that, I turned and left, leaving Peter staring after me.

**Author's Notes: hurrah, off to the castle~  
****Peter: MY LOVE!  
Ari: GTFAFM**

**and that's pretty much how it went down XD i enjoyed righting this one. especially when Peter ran into a wall :D HE'S ONLY ADORABLE WHEN HE IS NOT BEING ANNOYING AND ALL STALKER RABBIT. that is all. enjoy~**


	4. Chapter 4

I was on my way back to Hatter Mansion, my headphones in, music blasting in my ears. I yawned, starting to get drowsy. _Maybe I should have stayed at the Castle,_ I thought, but quickly shook off the thought. I scrolled through my iPod, trying to find something else to listen to. I stopped on Roisin Murphy, a small grin pulling across my face. I hit play, and immediately started dancing and singing.

_"You better stop! Ya gotta think! Look whatcha doin', oh Ruby! You never get together, cause you forgot to take it to the top! Oh Ruby Blue!_

_ "Why do you make it start, with no means to go on, it's on the tip of your...Ruby, we used to love you truly, you used to make us laugh! Really was a gas! But now you're a bore. One, two, three, but now you're a bore. To them, and me. Look what you do, oh Ruby Blue~"_ I was smiling brightly as I sang and danced, enjoying the music. I did flips, cart-wheels, anything that would fit. I closed my eyes, still dancing, when someone grabbed my hand, placing their other free hand on my lower back and tipping me. My eyes widened in surprise, and it took me a moment to register who it was.

"So she sings _and_ she dances," Blood purred, smirking at me. I hadn't even noticed I had made it back to the Mansion. I blinked, then narrowed my eyes dangerously at him.

"Let me go. Now," I growled. He chuckled, then set me upright, but refused to let go. Instead, he started into a slow waltz.

"So," he started, "why didn't you come talk to me when I asked?" _More like demanded..._ I thought, smirking.

"You simply needed to learn that I come when I please," I answered, dancing with him.

"How was your little visit to the Castle?"

"Fine," I stopped, grinning as I moved closer to his ear, "your sister seems nice." That got his attention. All I did was blink and I was suddenly pressed against the front gate, Blood's fingers wrapped around my throat. I smirked at him.

"You really gonna try and kill me? Or did you forget I survived a bullet to the lung earlier," I taunted, my smirk growing.

"I didn't forget. That's why I'm doing this," he replied. Then he did the one thing I didn't expect to happen; he kissed me. My eyes went wide, and I could feel a blush start to spread along my face. I don't know how long he kissed me, but when he pulled away, i was breathless. His face stayed near my own, so I could feel his breath on my lips. I stared into his emerald eyes, my face flushed as I tried to catch my breath.

"...Wow, uh, what the hell was that?" I asked. He smirked and moved close again, lightly brushing his lips on my own, making me shiver.

"Just my way of saying 'thank you' for what you did earlier," he said, his voice slightly husky. I shivered as his teeth grazed my ear. Suddenly, he let go, and I could see the smirk on his face.

"Rest well young lady," he said, waving nonchalantly as he walked back into the mansion. My yes were wide, my face beat red, and I had to hold onto the gate to stand up. After a few moments, I got angry, and stormed inside. _Who does he think he is?_ I thought angrily as I walked to my room, frowning. I slammed the door shut, but was still mindful so it wouldn't splintered and/or possibly break right off its hinges. I fell onto the bed, grabbing a pillow and hugging it while curling into a ball. My eyes started to drift shut, and soon I was fast asleep...

_Hm? Where am I?_ I thought as I opened my eyes and glanced around. It was like I was standing in the night sky, and there was multi-colored gas floating around.

"Finally come to see me, eh?" A voice lulled. I whipped around to see a man floating at least two feet off the ground.

"And you are?" I asked, looking up at his face while crossing my arms in annoyance.

"I am Nightmare, a dream demon," he answered, bowing slightly as he introduced himself.

"Dream demon? So, what, like an incubus?" I asked out loud.

"In a sense. Certainly no the kind _you're_ thinking of," he grinned. I blushed. _How did he...?_

"I can read your mind, Miss Ari~" he explained, and I instantly put up my mental walls, making him pout.

"So...Is it even possible to have two dreams at once?" I asked. He grinned again.

"That's right. This is all but a dream," he said eerily, making me tilt my head in confusion.

"Okaaay, so how do I wake up?" I asked.

"When you complete the game..." he answered, starting to vanish.

"Wah! Wait! NIGHMARE!" i shouted as I felt myself start to wake up...

I sat up in bed, my eyes wide open. I ran my fingers through my hair, letting out a shaky sigh. I moved to get up, goosebumps rising on my flesh when my bare feet touched the cold floor. My stomach growled, and I stood up, patting my stomach. _Gotta be some food around here somewhere..._ I thought as I walked out of the room and into the hallway. I began to wander, not really paying attention, and I ended up walking into the kitchen. I began to look around for something to eat, settling on a slice of carrot cake in the fridge. I looked around the kitchen again for a plate and fork, my stomach growling again. I started humming as I searched, smiling lightly when I found the things I was looking for. I cut a slice then plopped it onto the plate, putting the rest of the cake in the fridge. I jumped up onto the counter, putting my ears buds in and swinging my feet, being careful not to kick the counter on accident. I started nomming on the cake, closing my eyes and humming to the song I was listening to.

"Hello?" I heard. i opened one eye and looked at the owner of the voice. What I saw was Elliot standing in the doorway still in his pajamas, yawning.

"Hey Elliot~" I greeted, smiling.

"Mornin'. When did you get back here?" he asked, walking over to the fridge and getting his own slice of cake.

"Pretty late. Everyone was asleep, I think," I answered, moving to the side as Elliot leaned on the counter next to me, eating his cake.

"I heard a loud 'bang' last night, though," Elliot mused, "you know anything about it?" I nearly choked on my cake. Elliot jumped up and ran to get me glass of water. I took it from him when he gave it to me, then took a sip, clearing my throat.

"Heh, yeah, 'bout that. That was me slamming my door," I answered awkwardly.

"What happened?"

"Not much. Just ticked off."

"Peter?"  
"Yeah..." Which wasn't _entirely_ a lie...

"Understandable. Bastard's always callin' me a rabbit!"

"But you're not. Same species, different breed," I explained, shrugging.

"R-really?"

"Yup."

"Ari, you're a good person," he said, smiling sweetly.

"Aw. Thank you~" I said, hopping off the counter and giving him a hug. A small blush formed on his face, but he hugged me back.

"So uh, what do you plan on doing today?" he asked, pulling back to look at me.

"Not too sure yet. Probably just lounge around here today," I answered, shrugging.

"Cool. I guess I'll see ya around," Elliot said before walking out of the kitchen.

"See ya later!" I called after him. I turned back to take care of the dishes to find them gone. I shook my head, not wanting to know, then walked out of the kitchen back to my room. I shut the bedroom door behind me, then collapsed on the bed, wondering about what I was going to do today. After about a minute, I got back out of bed and walked around the halls, ending up in that room full of books. I skimmed over the titles, grabbing a book that deemed interesting, then sat down on the couch, leaning back and flipping open the book. After awhile, I became _too_ comfortable, and started dozing off. I shifted slightly in my seat, getting more comfortable. I had just barely fallen asleep when I felt something get thrown over me. I opened my eyes and saw Blood sitting at his desk, looking over papers. I looked down and saw a blanket over me. I looked up again and saw Blood staring at me.

"...Can I help you?" I asked, lifting a brow.

"I wasn't aware I wasn't allowed to look," he countered, smirking, "and this is _my_ office. I should be asking what _you're _doing in here."

"Nothing scandalous, I assure you," I replied, rolling my eyes, "I came here to read." I waved the book in my hand as proof. He snorted and rolled his eyes at me, turning back to his paperwork. I looked away from him and turned to the page I left off on before I fell asleep. I kept glancing up at him as he worked, until her eventually caught me looking.

"Pray tell, is there something on my face?" he asked, lifting a brow and smirking. I felt my face get warmer.

"N-no. I just feel like I might be bothering you," I mumbled, looking away. I heard him chuckle, then stand from his desk.

"It's quite alright. I loathe doing paperwork," he said, sitting next to me, "you serve as a good distraction."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted..." I said, narrowing my eyes and turning back to my book.

"Trust me when I say it's a good thing." His arm wrapped around my waist while his other hand grabbed my chin, turning my face towards his. My eyes went wide when his lips touched my own, pulling me closer. The book in my hand fell to the floor with a soft _thump_, completely forgotten. Eventually, I closed my eyes and leaned into the kiss, my hand going to his shoulders. I felt him smirk, then move me so i was on my back. I broke the kiss with a gasp, my hand on his chest now. I squirmed under him when he started kissing my neck, shivering when he nipped at the sensitive skin. His left hand lightly moved up my thigh from my knee, moving up the hem of my dress. I tilted my head back...

And Elliot walked in.

Blood and i looked up at the door, and my face went completely red. I pushed Blood off of me and ran out of the room, covering my blushing face. I ran straight out of the building and towards the Amusement Park. When I got there, I found it was...really...hot. I rested my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Something whizzed past me, then I was suddenly sprayed with a water gun, getting my head and shoulder soaked.

"Gah! Ari?" Boris yelped, running towards me. I stared daggers at him when I saw the water gun in his hands, and he flinched back.

"Heh heh, uh, sorry about that..." he grimaced, holding up his hands in surrender. I sighed, the grinned wickedly.

"Of course you realize, dis, means war. Now, show me where I can get a bathing suit around here~"

**Author's Notes: aaaaah, Blood, you lecherous, sneaky, conniving man you. ain't just a charmer ^^* anyway, yes the next chapter is a water gun fight with Ari and Boris. who will be the victor? only i know right now, you will just have to read :D anywho, enjoy~ **


	5. Chapter 5

About ten minutes later, I had changed into a black bikini, my white cat ears and tail out, my hair tied back into a high pony-tail, and I full water-gun in my hands. I pressed myself against the wall, listening for Boris. My ears twitched, and I swished my tail back and forth. My right ear flicked back, and I peered around the corner to see Boris with his back to me. I grinned, then aimed with dead accuracy at his back and fired.

"Gah! What the-?" Boris yowled as the cold water hit his back.

"Ari one, Boris none," I hooted with laughter, dodging when Boris fired. I quickly pumped up my gun and fired, pouting when he dodged. This battle lasted for at least two hours before we ended up lying on our backs next to the pool, our head next to each other, both of us panting heavily. Our ears were laid flat, our water guns lying limp in our hands.

"Un…freaking…believable…I have….NEVER…gotten into a tie before…" Boris said between gasps, trying to catch his breath. I laughed breathlessly, lightly tapping my knuckles on his forehead with my free hand.

"Hell, I'm surprised you were able to keep up," I snickered, sitting up and wiping the sweat off my forehead. Boris did the same, grabbing my free hand and pulling me to my feet. When I was up, he stuck out his hand for a truce, but as I went to shake his hand, he moved and pushed me into the pool.

"You son of a-!" I growled, then grabbed his wrist at the last second and pulled him down with me. When we got back to the surface, we saw Pierce holding a bowl of shaved ice, crouching down to look at us in the water. Boris and I turned to each other, grinned wickedly, then turned back to Pierce, grabbing his wrists and pulling him in with us. He let out a squeak just before he hit the water, and yet his frozen treat remained unharmed.

"Uwaaa! You guys are so meeeean!" Pierce whined when he resurfaced, looking like he was about to cry.

"I'm sorry. Couldn't help it~" I said, sticking out my tongue. I giggled, then wrapped my arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek. His face immediately went a dark shade of red. I giggled again and held him up so he wouldn't sink.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little lady!" A voice boomed from the side of the pool. I looked up to see Gowland looking down at the three of us, a big grin on his face. I quickly glanced at his hands, relaxing slightly when I saw he only had a ukulele.

"So what brings you here?" Gowland asked as he sat down on the edge of the pool, sticking his feet in the water. I could feel myself tense up, and I looked down at the clear water. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Boris looking at me with concern. I smiled sadly at him, and he turned back to Gowland.

"Hey Old Man, I saw we make an event," Boris suggested, getting out of the water.

"What? Why-" Gowland started, then he saw the look on my face, and he nodded in understanding. He stood up, and clapped his hands together, his instrument disappearing.

"I'll go send a message to Nightmare. He should be able to spread the word quickly~" Gowland sang as he walked off.

"…Boris. Explain. Now," I growled, looking up at him. He flinched back, then rubbed the back of his head as he sat down with his legs crossed in front of me.

"Well, an event is exactly what it says. It's just an event. The catch is that all the role-holders have to attend," he explained, scratching his cheek.

"Whoa. Really? That's kind of awesome!"

"I know! _Especially_ the ones the old man throws," Boris snickered.

"You really respect him, don't you?" I asked, folding my arms and resting my head on them.

"What? No! Why would I?"

"Well you kinda live here, so…never mind. When is the event going to be held?"

"Right about now~" Gowland sang as he appeared behind Boris. The feline jumped, and ended up falling into the water head first. I called him a scaredy-cat when he resurfaced, and he hissed at me.

"I'd give it about a half hour, tops. People'll come runnin' through those gates~ And then I'll get to play a little song for them~" Gowland sighed happily, the violin appearing in his hands. Boris, Pierce, and I stared at him with wide eyes before swimming to the other side of the pool and got out running. We got to the other side of the water park section before we stopped, resting our hands on our knees and panting heavily. Pierce was on his back gasping for air.

"I hate…that frickin'…violin…" I gasped out, scowling, "Who the hell taught him how to play?"

"He's self-taught…" Boris answered, catching his breath.

"That actually explains a lot…"

"Y-yea…" Pierce wheezed, managing to get to his feet.

"But now I'm hot as hell," I whined, lifting my hair from the back of my neck. Boris licked his lips as his eyes moved down my body, and I glared at him before smacking the back of his head.

"Not what I meant idiot," I growled, putting my hair down.

"What! It was a compliment!" he whined, holding his head. I huffed and rested my hands on my hips before grabbing his hand and pulling him with me to a water slide. We went on a majority of the water park ides before people finally started showing up, the first being the residents from Heart Castle. I hid behind Boris and Pierce when I caught sight of Peter.

"What the-?" Boris yowled, trying to turn around and look at me.

"Shut up and pretend I'm not here," I growled, turning his head back forward. Unfortunately, Peter caught sight of me when I did so, and I cursed at myself when he started running to me.

"Stall him!" I yelled as I ran in the opposite direction as fast as I could. They stared after me before jumping in front of Peter's path, leading him in another direction. I ended up running all the way to the fountain before I stopped, resting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. I sat on the edge of the fountain and leaned my head back, lifting my hair off the back of my neck. I felt someone gently grab my tail, and I looked over to see two faceless children playing with it. I smirked and moved it out of their reach, and they jumped to catch it, making me giggle. I continued this game for awhile before I picked up the little girl and boy and set them on my lap.

"And what are your names?" I asked, ruffling their hair and earning a giggle.

"Patty," The girl answered.

"I'm Thomas," the boy answered after, pointing to himself.

"And am I right to guess you're siblings?" I asked. They nodded in response, and I smiled at both of them, ruffling their hair again. I heard someone call to them, and we looked up to see what I thought was their mother. They waved and said goodbye to me before running to the woman, bright smiles on their faces. I waved back, smiling at them as they left, and I put my hand down when I lost sight of them.

"Pretty Lady, Pretty Lady!" I heard a pair of voices yell. I barely had time to look up before I was tackled by Dee and Dum and ended up in the fountain, the impact making a big splash. I sat up as best as I could and looked to see Dee hugging my waist and Dum's arms wrapped around my shoulders. My feet dangled off the edge of the fountain, and I just let my head fall back.

"Hi guys," I said, patting their heads and earning giggles.

"We couldn't find you at the mansion Pretty Lady!" Dee said as he sat up.

"We got worried! We thought you were kidnapped!" Dum whined as he sat up on my other side. They helped me sit up, and I patted their heads as I thanked them.

"Well, I'm okay. Just wanted to come visit here is all," I said, smiling at them. I stood up and stepped out of the fountain, and they followed after me, latching onto my arms. I glanced over to see Elliot and Blood walking over, and I waved at Elliot. He smiled and waved back before the twins dragged me off to go to the rest of the rides. We made our way back to the pool after about an hour or so to see all the Role-Holders there. I was first greeted by Pierce when I got there by a hug around the waist, which just pissed off Peter, who immediately started yelling at Pierce to "get his filthy hands off me". I rolled my eyes at him and hugged Pierce back before diving into the pool. I resurfaced to see Boris, Pierce, and Gowland holding score cards, which made me laugh. I waded over to the edge before jumping out and grabbing one of the floats, when I suddenly got a blast of cold water on my back. I meowed in shock and whipped around to see Boris and the twins laughing like a pack of hyenas, and my eyes narrowed at them.

"Gowland where are the water guns?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the three. I heard Gowland laugh wickedly as he handed me one.

"You boys are in trouble now~" he chanted, grinning evilly. I pumped my gun and aimed at the three, hitting Boris right in the face. The twins laughed at the expression on his face, and he clenched his jaw as he aimed and fired, missing me, but just barely.

"Oh, now it's on!" I yelled as I ducked, pumping up my gun and aiming at one of the twins. They jumped out of the way and fired at me, and I just barely dodged again.

"So childish…" I heard Blood mumble. We froze and turned to face him, then aimed right at his face and fired, getting him soaked. We were laughing like crazy….until he got his own gun.

"DUCK IN COVER!" I yelled as I started running away, the others following me. We jumped into the water just as Blood pulled the trigger, and we resurfaced to see him reloading. I vaguely heard Gowland sounding like he was about to die of laughter, and Blood turned to face him, staring daggers. I quickly jumped out of the water and got behind Blood, tackling him into the water and causing a huge splash. I resurfaced before him to hear Gowland laughing harder, and I could see him holding his sides. Boris was wiping tears from his eyes, and the twins were in the same scenario as Gowland. Blood glared deadly at them, and they clamped their hands over their mouths, trying to control their laughter. I started laughing, and he turned his gaze towards me. I smirked.

"What're you gonna do about it?" I taunted. He smirked, then moved his face closer, kissing me dead on the lips. My eyes bugged out, and I could only imagine what everyone's face looked like. He pulled back, still smirking, and all hell broke loose.

"How _dare_ you kiss my sweet!" Peter yelled, taking his gun out again and aiming straight at Blood. My eyes were still wide, and my face was now a dark shade of red. I was completely frozen solid, but I could still see when Boris waved his hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"I don't think she's breathing…" Dee mumbled, poking my arm. I barely even twitched my fingers.

"Pretty Lady, wake uuuup!" Dum whined, tugging on my arm. I slowly started sinking into the water, and Boris picked me back up to keep me from drowning.

"Well…that was unexpected," Gowland mumbled, his eyes still wide. Blood got out and sat on the edge of the pool, still grinning. I could hear Nightmare struggling to hide his coughs and Gray trying to calm him down before he coughed up a lung. I slipped under the surface of the water and stayed there for a good minute before coming back up, my face getting cooler.

"You are SO gonna regret that later," I growled at Blood as I got out to get the float I had dropped. I sat in the center of it as I got back in the water.

"Hey, I actually found you guys!" I heard a cheery voice call. I leaned my head back to see Ace waving at us, and I waved back at him. He spotted me, and his grin got wider as he pulled his shirt over his head and started towards the water at a rather quick pace. My eyes went wide and I quickly tilted my head up and started swimming away.

"Dammit Ace, don't you friggin' da-"

"CANONBALL!" he shouted before jumping into the water. I slipped through the hole in the float and went underwater so I wouldn't get splashed, and I resurfaced to see many of the Role-Holders soaking wet (not including the ones who were already). Ace resurfaced and shook out his hair before looking at all the not so happy people glaring at him.

"Why's everyone so angry looking?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he gave a confused smile.

"You are a nuisance to us Ace," Vivaldi growled, drying off her arms and legs. Peter looked ready to start shooting again, and the only ones laughing were Boris, me, Dee and Dum, and Gowland, who obviously didn't care he was soaked. I could see Blood trying to hold in his laughter, so much he was shaking from it. I turned back to look at Ace to find him…gone. And I started panicking immediately. I suddenly felt something grab my ankle, and I let out a scream of surprise. Ace resurfaced laughing like crazy.

"Scared ya didn't I?" he asked between laughs, and I hit him over the head to make him stop, even though I knew it wouldn't work.

"You are such an ass!" I yelled at him, flushing with embarrassment.

"Aww, come on~ You know ya love me~" he sang, ruffling my hair.

"I most certainly do not!" I shrieked. He only laughed in response, giving me a tight hug.

"Admit it, you do and I know it~"

"Paws off!" I yelled, trying to push him away. He laughed again and let go, getting out of the water. I grumbled to myself as I grabbed my float, going under water and coming back up through the middle. The sky changed from high noon to nighttime instantly, and I looked up at the crescent moon.

"Ah-ha! Now for the main event~" Gowland cheered, clapping his hands together with glee. I stared up at him from the water, scared for my life. I got out of the water and grabbed the towel I had been using, wrapping it around my shoulders as I sat down near Vivaldi. My hand shot up when Peter tried hugging me, punching him right in the face.

"What exactly is Gowland planning?" I asked Vivaldi, trying to ignore the obsessive rabbit man. She chuckled lightly patting my hand.

"That's left to be a surprise, though we have already seen what the man does," she explained, smiling. She pouted some, then moved over to hug me. My face contorted in confusion instantly.

"Relax, you just looked cold to us. The water must be frigid," she said, patting my head.

"Oh, no, I'm fine! It wasn't that bad, and I've been through colder temperatures than this!" I explained hurriedly, waving my hands frantically in panic.

"Then you do not wish for our help?" she asked, scowling some. I flinched inwardly, then sighed in defeat, bringing the smile back to her face as she nuzzled her head against my own. I glanced over at Blood and had to bite my lip, hard, to keep from laughing at the look on his face. I quickly tapped Vivaldi's arm to get her attention and pointed at her brother, and we both giggled, getting dark glares from the Hatter. I felt someone cling to the back of my towel, and I looked back to see Pierce was hiding behind me, looking over my shoulder in fright at the nearby Boris, who, oddly enough, had a knife and fork in his hand. His eyes had an evil glint to them as he spotted Pierce, and my own eyes went wide when he lunged. Someone yanked me away from Vivaldi before Boris could tackle, and I quickly latched onto Pierce's wrist, pulling him with me. I nearly died of laughter when Boris and Vivaldi ended up in a jumbled heap, and boy was the queen of hearts mad. I looked up to see Blood still holding onto my wrist, his other hand resting on my waist. I flushed lightly, and he made me let go of Pierce's wrist, much to my discontent for letting the poor mouse go unprotected, and dragged me away from the rest of the group and into the nearby woods.

"Would you let go of me now?" I shouted as we stopped, tugging my hand away from him and scowling. He smirked, leaning against one of the trees. We were still in the Amusement Park thankfully, so I wouldn't miss the surprise Gowland was ranting and boasting about earlier. I sighed heavily, leaning against a different tree, _away_ from Blood, and shut my eyes, crossing my arms.

"Is there a specific reason you dragged me away from the others?" I asked icily, keeping my eyes shut. He chuckled darkly, and the area in front of me got very warm, very fast. I opened one eye and saw Blood's bare chest not two inches in front of my nose. My face flushed immediately, and I pressed myself against the tree behind me, trying to get away from the hatter. He grinned down at me, one of his hands in a loose fist above my head, his other moving to grab my chin.

"You amuse me," he said simply, still grinning. I glared at him and slapped his hand away from my face. He grabbed it and pinned it by my side, making me scowl more. He chuckled again, making me look up at him.

"Plus, how else was I going to get you away from that annoying rabbit?" he asked before kissing me lightly on the lips at the exact moment the first firework went off in the Park.

**Author's Notes: YES, I KNOW, MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CHEESINESS AT THE END. IT WAS MY PLAN ALL ALONG :D anyway, i still laugh when i read this XD i thoroughly enjoyed this chapter, and i hope you all feel the same~ enjoy~~****  
**


	6. Chapter 6

My eyes were wide open, and I was frozen solid as Blood kissed me. It was...different. Sweet, even. And that's the part that freaked me out. He pulled back after a few seconds, though he kept his face close to my own. He smirked at me, and I felt my face flush, making him chuckle. The fireworks raged and exploded in the sky in the Amusement Park, and I glanced over at them, trying to distract myself from Blood. He turned my face back to his, and I slapped his hand away, frowning at him.

"Why do you insist on kissing me? And why did you take me from the others?" I asked, blinking up at him. He looked at me, confused, then smirked again.

"Call me selfish," he answered, moving to kiss me again. I rolled my eyes and put my hand over his mouth. He opened his eyes and looked at me, and I could have sworn he was pouting.

"Sorry, but I really must be going. Toodles~" I said, then ducked under his arm and went farther into the woods. I never said toodles, which meant Arisu was busy trying to get out again, and since we were both hungry, that meant chaos. I went as far as I could without seeing anyone else then sat on the ground, waiting for my other half to come out. I didn't have to wait that long.

* * *

"You, Missy, never drink enough," I growled at Ari after killing and drinking the blood of some faceless person, the third to be exact. I knew Ari would be miffed about it later, and all hell broke loose when she was miffed at me.

_Because I trained myself NOT TO KILL ANYONE, miss has-to-kill-every-damn-time!_ She shouted back. I could clearly sense her practically pacing in annoyance. I rolled my eyes at her reaction, cocking my hips and placing my hand on it. My black tail twitched behind me in irritation at the little voice in my head, but my ear started to twitch. I could hear…music. And it wasn't like the music they played at the Amusement Park. It sounded more like…circus music. Carnival, more like. And now my curiosity was peaked.

I started walking away from the body, leaving the lifeless form on the ground as I followed the music. I must have been going insane. There was no way this place could get any crazier.

Clearly I was dead wrong.

What now loomed before was a red and yellow striped big-top circus tent, surrounded by unattended stalls. The eeriest part was there was no one in sight. It was like a ghost circus. I swear to god if I ran into any clowns...

The music had grown louder, and the source seemed to be from the tent. I moved towards it, other noises joining in with the annoying tones. They sounded like voices, and my eyes went wide when I heard the crack of a whip. A grin spread across my features as I stuck to the shadows, keeping myself hidden as I snuck into the tent. It seemed even bigger on the inside, amazing as it seemed. I could see faceless children and adults dressed like jesters practicing all sorts of tricks. I hid myself under the bleachers, peering out between the cracks as I watched. There was one man in the center of the ring that caught my attention; his hair was a wine red, and he appeared to be the only one with a face in the entire tent. He too was dressed as a jester, but…it seemed to suit him. I liked it~

I watched in silence as the jester man ordered the others around, obviously the ring leader of the place. I heard the crack of a whip again, and I looked back to see he was indeed the source. Another person soon waltzed inside the tent, and he had the same visage as the jester. The only difference between the two was the clothes they wore. The one wearing the warden outfit started into a heated argument with the jester man before glancing over at the bleachers in anger at something the other said. His expression changed from anger to shock to confusion faster than I could blink, and if I still had a heart beat I dare say it would have stopped. I shrank back from the wine red eye, paranoid that I'd been seen. My feline ears pressed flat against my head as I watched and waited for something to happen. When nothing did, I let my muscles relax as I gave a short sigh of relief, my hand resting over my un-beating heart.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked. I let out a yowl in surprise, my skin crawling as the hair on the back of my neck bristled. My eyes immediately went from black to jade as I let out a low hiss, showing my displeasure at being so easily startled. The jester man was propping himself on the bleachers, peering though the cracks I was to look at me. My tail flicked back and forth in annoyance as I started to crouch, preparing to claw out the eyes of the next person who snuck up on me.

"Interesting outfit you have on there~" Another voice called. I whipped my head around to see the warden leaning against one of the beam the held the stands up, a riding crop in his hand. I looked down to see I was still wearing the bathing suit from the event Ari had attended, though fortunately there was a white button down over it, even though the shirt was unbuttoned.

"So what's a stray kitty-cat doing in the circus without a ticket?" the jester asked, now standing next to the warden. I growled, pulling further back into the shadows as my ears pressed flat against my head, claws at the ready should they try anything. The jester simply laughed at my actions, which only angered me even more. I searched through my mind to bring Ari back, not in the mood to deal with these two, considering I would sooner kill them than talk reason, but she was dead asleep. At first I was miffed, but that quickly changed when I realized I had all the control for the time being. My angered expression shifted into a lazy smirk as I stood up straight, walking out of the shadows and into the dim lighting of the tent. I tilted my head to the side when I stood in front of the two red heads, a grin on my face as my tail swayed behind me.

"Well, I simply followed the music I heard, and got curious. Could you hardly blame me?" I purred, tapping a finger to my chin. The jester grinned at my response, his showing eye glancing over my attire before looking at my face again.

"You seem new around here~" he mused, grinning right back. I chuckled, making the ears and tail vanish.

"They tell me I'm something called an 'outsider'," I answered, twirling a lock of hair around my finger. I quickly glanced at the warden to see his eyes shamelessly roaming over my body. I simply smirked before turning my attention back to the jester, giving the warden a simple warning.

"Eyes back in their sockets, warden," I grinned. The man flinched, cursing at the fact he had been caught. The jester laughed at the befuddled man before looking back at me, bowing at his waist before me.

"Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joker, the ring-leader of the circus~" he said, taking one of my hands and planting a delicate kiss on it. I giggled at the action.

"My, my, what a gentleman~" I purred. He flashed me a grin as he freed my hand and stood up straight.

"I ain't gonna be courteous to a bitch like that," the warden growled, earning a thump to the head by Joker.

"At least tell her your name," he said, rolling his eye. The warden grumbled the same name the jester had given, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"Doesn't it get awfully confusing if you're both named Joker?" I mused. The first Joker grinned, patting my head.

"Most of the residents refer to me as White, and the warden here as Black," he said, motioning to his supposed "twin". They might as well have been, since they looked exactly the same. I tilted my head again, this time turning my attention to Black.

"I haven't seen any prisons, so why is there a warden?" I asked, unable to hide the smirk from my face when I saw his eye twitch.

"Idiot! You _clearly_ haven't been here for long," Black grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. I giggled at his reaction, my eyes mixing again.

"So why exactly are you dressed such a way?" White asked, wrapping an arm around my waist as he began leading me out from under the bleachers. I crossed my arms as he did, a smirk still spread across my features.

"It was event that was held at the Amusement Park. I wasn't the one who chose the outfit though," I explained, giving a small shrug.

"That hardly makes any sense. If you didn't make the decision, who did?"

"The one who actually owns this body."

"Come again?"

"You heard right~" I purred, giggling some at the expression on White's face.

"Care to properly explain?" Black growled. I hadn't even realized he'd made his way to my other side. I grinned.

"You could call it something along the lines of a split personality~" I explained, flicking a lock of hair back over my shoulder. White nodded his head slowly, still keeping his hand on my hip.

"Well, since you already know our names, the proper thing to do would be to give us yours," White said cheerily, smiling down at me. I looked up at him before facing forward again, my eyes shut.

"MY name is Arisu. The one who initially owns this body is named Ari, but she's sleeping right now," I explained, putting a finger in front of my lips as a way of asking for someone to be quiet, opening one eye to look back up at White. He grinned back out me. I felt a breeze brush across my back, and I opened both eyes and looked forward, realizing we weren't inside the circus tent anymore. Something snagged my hair, and I let out a yelp, tilting my head back to relieve the pressure. My eyes were squeezed shut, so I couldn't see what was happening until a felt a pair of lips crush against my own. My eyes snapped open, and I could see it was Black kissing me. I shut my eyes again and shoved him back, both of us panting some. I watched as he licked his lips greedily.

"Definitely _tastes_ better than the last one," he smirked.

"Now that wasn't very nice Black. I think you could've been at least a bit gentler," White scolded, though I could hear the smirk in his voice. His hand tightened around my waist as he pulled me towards him, grabbing my wrist when I tried scratching/slapping him. His lips pressed against me gently, and boy did he know how to make a woman melt. I felt my eyes start to shut as he moved the hand on my hip to my lower back, pressing me closer. He pulled back all too soon, licking his lips just had Black had and making me shiver.

"Though, I will have to give you credit, you definitely right about her," he said, his eye flashing up to Black, who barked a laugh in return. I waited till I could find my footing before pulling back from White. Ari was going to wake up any second, and she would want to switch back to her own body, and she would sooner kill me than be caught in a situation like the one I was in right now.

"Well, it's been _great_ fun, but I really must be going," I sighed in mock disappointment.

"What's the rush?" White asked.

"The fact that I wouldn't like to deal a very pissed off Ari, since she's about to wake up any moment~" I purred, shrugging my shoulders some. I turned to walk away, but paused, turning back to Black and grabbing his tie and yanking him down to my height, kissing him roughly. I would never let him live down the expression of shock her gave me. I pulled back a few seconds later, grinning wickedly as I licked my own lips. I turned and started walking away, looking back over my shoulder at the both of them.

"What can I say? I like it rough~" I purred before making my way farther into the woods. Seeing as how Ari would be stark raving mad if I slept in a tree again, I broke into a run and went back to Hatter Mansion, putting her back in the rose garden she had slept in before. I sat down on the ground before lying on my side, waiting for Ari to get her butt up. Unfortunately I had fallen asleep before she could come out on her own. Ah well, she would be up when I did~

~Joker~

White watched as the new outsider scampered off into the woods, a grin on his face as he did. Black was busy watching her as well, his showing eye wide with shock. White diverted his attention to his other half, rolling his own eye at him.

"Stop standing around with your mouth hanging open like a codfish. We have work to do," he said, turning his back as he started walking back to his precious circus. Black shook his head quickly before a lazy smirk spread across his features.

"I think I like this one White~" he purred, brushing a thumb over his bottom lip. White rolled his eye again, though he was sharing Black's smirk.

"We'll keep an eye on her, definitely. She even has me curious."

**Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUUUUUN. WHAT COULD THE JOKERS BE UP TO~? well you'll have to be patient and wait -3- toodles!**


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